Apparatus for laying out tennis-courts.



' A. W; SHERWOOD.

APPARATUS FOR'LA YING OUT TENNIS COURTS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19. I915.

1,240,498; Patented Sept. 18,1917.

Q- ITILQJLLITII BY m.e;m

' Arm/mgr AARON w. snnnwoon or Hoosier; FALLS, New YORK.

APPARATUS FOR LAYING" our *rENivIs-oounrs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 18, 191 7.

Application filed November 19. 1915. Serial No. 62,422.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AARON W. SHERWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hoosick Falls, county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Laying Out Tennis-Courts, of which the following is a specification.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

The object of the invention is to facilitate the laying out of agame court, or the like.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the manner in which a pair of complementary tapes are used in laying out a tennis-court in accordance with the preferred form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of one of the tapes exaggerated in width.

In carrying out my invention inits pre ferred'form,.I employ two complementary strips, preferably in the form of flexible tapes, each having at one end means whereby it can be pivoted at one end of a base-line, and each provided with a series of individually distinctive characters at distances from its pivotal end equal to the respective distances from the end of the base-line to the several definitive points or corners of the court, the distinctive character on one of said strips indicating the distance from one end of such base-line to any definitive point in the court being the same as the destinetive character on the other strip indicating the distance from the other end of said baseline to the same definitive point.

By pivoting the pivotal ends of said complementary tapes at opposite ends of aproperly predetermined base-line, when the tapes are drawn taut and are swung about their respective pivots until a distinctive character on one tape is brought into coincidence with the like distinctive character on the other strip, the point at which the tapes intersect or cross one another will indicate the proper location of one of the definitive points or corners of the court, and in like manner, each of such definitive points or corners can be located.

The distinctive characters may be located on the tapes with reference to any line formhe on of. the'sides f t e court, or e en with reference to an arbitrarily located baseline of predetermined length. r

In locating the characters on tapes adapted for laying out a tennis-court, I preferably employ as a base-line the transverse middle line of the court extending from the middle point of one side line to the middlepoint of the other side line.

In the drawings, I have shown two com plementary. tapes, 1 and 2, with the distinctive characters so located thereon, and in Fig. 1, I have illustrated the manner in which said tapes are used for locating the definitive points or corners of the court with reference to such base-line.

Eachtape has at one end means, such as a ring or loop, 3, whereby it can be pivoted by means of a peg, or other suitable device driven into the ground. V

In laying out a tennis-court, a base-line, AB, isfirst measured off of a predetermined length, which is the distance between the side lines of the court.

The definitive points to be located may be designated, C, D, E, F, G,:I-I, I, which points are at the corners formed by inter section of the longitudinal court-lines with the respective transverse court lines.

The-tape, 1, is" provided with the individually distinctive characters, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, located thereupon at distances from its pivotal end equal to the respective distances If the tape, 1, be swung taut about its pivotal connection at, A, its distinctive char acters can thus be brought severally into coincidence with the'respective definitive points, G, D, E, F,'G, H, I.

In like manner the tape, 2, is provided with individually distinctive characters, 0, D, E, F, G, H, I, located thereupon at distances from its pivotal end equal to the respective distances, B-O, BD, BE, B F, BG, BH, B-I.

If the tape, 2, be swung taut about its pivotal connection at, 13, its distinctive characters can thus be brought severally into coincidence with the respective definitive points, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.

Preferably, the individually distinctive character on the strip, 1, which indicates the distance from its pivotal end, equal to the distance from one end of the base-line, AB, to any of the definitive points, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, is the same as the individually distinctive character on the other tape which indicates the distance from its pivotal end equal to the distance from the other end of said base-line to the same definitive point.

Thus, the tape, 1, has the character, G, at

a distance from its pivotal end equal to the distance, A G, while the tape, '2, has the same character, G, at a distance from its pivotal end equal to the distance, B-G.

By thus employing like characters at complementary points on the respective, tapes,

detailed'instructions are not necessary, it

ter, F; coincident to locate the definitive point F.

I preferably provide the tapes with eyelets, 4, adjacent to the respective distinctive characters thereon, whereby, to locate the several definitive points in the court, it is necessary only to insert a pin, nail, or the like, through the two eyelets in the respective tapes adjacent to like characters, and draw the two tapes taut.

The eyelets may be simple apertures, or apertures hushed with metal or other material, or buttonhole-stitched in a cloth tape.

For convenience in properly locating the line AB upon a court which has already been provided with properly located netposts, 55, I place upon each tape a 3% ft. mark at a distance from its end equal to the distance from each net-post to the neighboring side line of the court, whereby one end of the line AB can be located by the use of either tape, and a 36 ft. mark at a farther distance from its end equal to the distanoe between the side lines of the court, whereby the other end of the line A-B can be located by the use of either tape.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. An apparatus for laying out a court, comprising a pair of complementary strips each having at one end means whereby it can be pivoted, and each provided with a series of individually distinctive characters at distances from its pivotal end equal to the respective distances from one end of a predetermined base-line to the several definitive points of the court, the distinctive character on one strip at a distance from its pivotal end equal to the distance from one end of said base-line to a definitive point in the court being the same as the distinctive character on the other strip at a distance from the pivotal end of the latter strip equal to the distance from the other end of the base-line to the same definitive point in the court. I

2. An apparatus for laying out a tenniscourt, comprising a pair of complementary strips each having at one end means whereby it can be pivoted, and each provided with a series of individually distinctive characters at distances from its pivotal end equal to the respective distances from the middle of a side-line to the several corners of the court, each distinctive character on one strip at a distance from its pivotal end equal to the distance from the middle of one side-line to a corner being the same as the distinctive character onthe other strip at a distance from the pivotal end of the latter strip equal. to the distance from the middle of the other side-line to'the same corner.

3. An apparatus for laying out a tenniscourt, comprising a pair of complementary tapes each having at one end means whereby it can be pivoted, and each provided with a series ofindividually distinctive characters at distances from its pivotal end equal to the respective distances from the middle of a side-line to the several corners of the court, each distinctive character on one tapeat a distance from its pivotal end equal to the distance from tllHlTllClCllG of one side-line to a corner being the same as the distinct1ve character on the other tape at a distance from the pivotal end of the latter tape equal to the distance from the middlepf the other AARON \V. SHERWOOD. lVitnesses a D. W. BENNETT, t E. Vii-VAN E'r'rnn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patent.

Washington, D. G.

side-line to the same corner, said tapes be- 

